Metricon gig cancelled: could SandTunes head north on the Gold Coast

Sandtunes will not go ahead at Carrara after being moved from Coolangatta beach — but a leading promoter may revive the music event on another stretch of sand.

THE Gold Coast’s biggest music festival has been canned three weeks out from concerts at Metricon Stadium because of poor ticket sales.

The organisers of SandTunes pulled the plug yesterday on the two-day festival.

SandTunes initially would have seen thousands on Coolangatta beach.

The concerts, tipped to attract 25,000 people on November 30-December 1, were originally to be held on the beach at Coolangatta but were transferred to Carrara in August after opposition from southern businesses, residents and Currumbin MP Jann Stuckey.

Top promoter Paul Dainty said yesterday: “The reality is that without sand between our punters’ toes, the very notion of the beachside festival in a stadium meant low sales and we had to make the hard decision to cancel.”

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However, he vowed not to turn his back on the Glitter Strip and did not believe the cancellation would hurt the city’s tourism image in terms of wanting to host major events.

“Look, I’m not the sort of person who gives up just like that. I don’t think you say just because we’ve had a bit of a situation with SandTunes that we wouldn’t do other events there.

“Of course we will. It’s an important destination. Love the Gold Coast. We’ve had great support from council and the Mayor, and the State Government were behind it.”

Paul Dainty launching SandTunes last year.

Mr Dainty, the CEO of TEG Dainty, also said he would not give up on holding a music festival on the sand, and admitted he had considered other beach spots after agreeing to leave Coolangatta.

A move to The Spit, which hosted Summafieldayze at Doug Jennings Park in the mid-2000s, had the backing of authorities except permits could not be gained in time.

“That’s always an option (going north),” Mr Dainty replied, when asked about future plans. “There was a big festival held there a few years back.

“I think we are going to sit down internally in the company and have a discussion in the coming weeks about the next steps for SandTunes.

“I certainly wouldn’t dismiss it – we need the dust to settle, get this cancellation out the way and reconfigure, rethink what we do.”

Tourism Minister Kate Jones, Mayor Tom Tate and promoter Paul Dainty launching SandTunes.

Tickets purchased by credit or debit card for SandTunes will be refunded in full including ticket insurance premium if bought. Fans should allow up to 10 working days for the refund to appear in their account.

Patrons who bought tickets in an agency using cash or EFTPOS will be contacted via phone in the next 14 days to arrange a full refund.

Mayor Tom Tate vowed the council would help to secure another festival, saying “other ideas” were in the works.

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“This is disappointing news for a city which strives to hold major events,” he said.

“As we know, there is no sand at Metricon so the authenticity of (SandTunes) melted away. The wow factor is not just the acts, it is the experience of enjoying it on the beach.”

Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Leanne Coddington told the Bulletin: “We remain committed to attracting new and innovative events which will drive visitation and support the Queensland economy.”